Idaho jobless numbers stalled

| March 26, 2011 9:00 PM

COEUR d'ALENE - Idaho's unemployment remained at a record 9.7 percent in February for the third straight month, the Idaho Department of Labor announced Friday.

Kootenai County's unemployment rate, however, rose slightly to 11.2 percent, up from 11 percent in January. In February 2010, it was 10.4 percent.

"Since the last three months we've never hit 9.7 percent before," said Bob Fick, IDL spokesman, on the statewide number. "That's a recession."

Both the labor force and unemployment numbers rose county wide. In February 71,628 people comprised the labor force, with 8,021 people unemployed. The month before, it was 71,406 and 7,890, respectively.

A factor in the increase for unemployed workers could be holiday seasonal positions that remained through January letting the positions go by February, Fick said. Also, unemployment numbers are lagging indicators, and don't reflect the current market rather what has already happened, he said.

In the report, half of Idaho's 44 counties posted higher seasonally adjusted unemployment rates in February, up from 20 counties that recorded higher rates in January.

Idaho's five urban areas combined maintained the 9.8 percent unemployment rate from January, although Coeur d'Alene and Pocatello were two that rose slightly.

Lewiston's rate fell and Boise and Idaho Falls remained unchanged.

No northern county recorded a rate below 6 percent, which hasn't happened since February 1983.

"The recession has hit every inch of Idaho," Fick said. "Everyone's suffered, nobody's been spared."

Unemployment in Idaho's 33 rural counties also remained unchanged from January at 9.6 percent.

The highest rate continued to be in resource-reliant Adams County at 15.9 percent, down a full percentage point from July. Another 17 counties remained in double digits in February, down from 19 in January.

The lowest rate was in Oneida and Owyhee counties at 5.9 percent in February.

In 2010, the state's unemployment rose from 8.8 percent in January to 9.7 percent in December of that year.